newbie, here for help for my husband

[Bejeeber]

1 hour ago, CHfather said:

Send him a PM and he will respond.  He has helped a lot of people to do some tweaks that have shifted things for them

Yep, this seems to have been a real game changer in itself for a lot of CH'ers.

[BoscoPiko]

14 hours ago, Kimbers said:

And I’m back lol! As expected, my husband finished his prednisone taper on Thursday and that very evening got a headache, although not as severe as normal. Dove into this D3 for the last few days, got everything ordered and he started it last night. Since he always thinks he has side effects from everything I didn’t do the loading dose of d3 just the 10000 he’s been taking and we’ll do that thru the weekend so he can see that he’s fine, then we’ll start loading ( his anxiety has hit an all time high because of these headaches, which for me anyway might be the most annoying thing!) Talked to his neuro yesterday and she started the Verapamil. He left this morning for a quick weekend trip with his dad and our daughter so he’ll start that on Sunday when he gets back along with the full D3 loading protocol!  So far he’s been gone 3 hours and has already given himself an injection and is driving everyone crazy…honestly, I think it’s pure anxiety because this is the first time he’s left the house to go anywhere except the drs. in almost 3 months. I keep telling him he’s got to learn how to manage and live with these headaches in the outside world because he can’t hide out forever, he’s got to go back to work at some point! If anyone has tips for how to help him achieve that, I’ll take em! 
Thank you all so much for your help! Its comforting to know I have a community of amazing people that we can reach out to for advice and support. Wishing you all pain free days! 

I don't believe the anxiety is unwarranted. I still have it after almost three years of CH. I never get a long enough break to ever stop thinking about my head, if or when I'll get attacked. It's very hard to shut off. We as humans are not programed to deal with the level of pain CH causes. In many ways its like a torture tactic that I'm sure the military wishes they had access to as most would roll over with a quickness from the pain. Give him room and try to accept the level of pain. It kills personality, drive and all in its wake at the start. He will come around and accept help, profalactics, and advise on the more homeopathic (D3) solutions. You are a great companion to him just give him a bit of time. Best to you and him.

[BoscoPiko]

On 10/9/2021 at 9:42 AM, Shaun brearley said:

Really was a spelling mistake buddy , but glad it put a smile on your face 

This is so me! I'm surprised my bloopers haven been called out (yet)!

[CHTraveler]

On 10/9/2021 at 6:51 AM, Kimbers said:

honestly, I think it’s pure anxiety because this is the first time he’s left the house to go anywhere except the drs. in almost 3 months. I keep telling him he’s got to learn how to manage and live with these headaches in the outside world because he can’t hide out forever, he’s got to go back to work at some point! If anyone has tips for how to help him achieve that, I’ll take em! 

Greetings from down South, sorry to hear about the situation with your husband. I fully agree with others that the D3 regimen is helpful, also melatonin often helps reduce nighttime attacks. I also agree that it's better to hit the oxygen earlier rather than later in the attack. Regarding the anxiety and driving everyone crazy and not wanting to work, I've been through that too. All I can say is that the sooner he can move to a place of acceptance, the better. There is currently no "cure," and hating the cycle and resisting the attacks makes it all worse. For me, when a cycle starts, I do go through my initial phase of denial ("Oh, maybe it's not a cycle, maybe just a random attack, it can happen..." "Oh it's just the air pressure, not an active cycle"), but once it becomes clear that it is indeed an active episode, I really try to accept it and tell myself I'll get through it. When an attack starts, as calmly as possible, I stop what I'm doing and go to the oxygen, assuming I'm home. While I'm on the oxygen, I try as hard as possible to clear my mind, almost as if I'm trying to meditate--not panicking is key. If I go out, I'm either prepared to abort whatever I'm doing and go immediately back home in a taxi, or I do take meds to lessen the severity if an attack does come. Although it's not without side effects, dihydroergotamine seems to work reasonably well for me in that respect, but I try not to use it more than 2-3 days per week. The other one I use isn't available in the US, unfortunately. I'm not a triptan fan, personally, but many people have good luck with them. I also do the MM busting protocol, which usually works to break the cycle, although not 100% of the time. He'll have to experiment and see what works for him, but acceptance and calm perseverance are key. Good luck!